Pierogi with lentils 

Country of origin: Poland

Pierogi are a Traditional Polish dish, also consumed in other Eastern European countries. Every household of Poland consumes it, either for fancy Christmas time dinners and breakfasts or traditional lunch. Because of the doughs neutral nature, it can be paired with savory or sweet stuffings. Served with a spash of sour cream with a sprinkle of salt , or sugar, the Pierogi's melt in the mouth with any taste of stuffing you can imagine. 

Background:

Every Christmas, the women in my family gather together in the 70 year old kitchen of my great grandma's home. It is a family tradition to prepare and eat at least 12 different meat-free dishes for Christmas Eve, for good luck in the following year. One of which, Pierogi, is a traditional must on the Polish table. 

As we settle by the table, my great grandma in her spot on the left, my grandma on the right, and my mother and I on the long side, my aunt takes out a large wooden board, used by my great grandma in her early years to cover the table. 

Preparing:

She then grabs 1kg of flour and empties the majority onto the wooden board. With her finger, she dips the flour, making a volcano-like shaped hole, and cracks the eggs into the divit. With her clean hand, she stirs them in, using her pointing finger. It has always mesmerized me the way the two combine, and her patient facial expression towards this part had always given me a sense of passion. How she effortlessly mixed it in, and put the dough to the side covered with a bowl, helped me want to do this myself. She grabs a glass of water and she works it into the remaining flour, turning it to dough and once all the flour is combined, she adds in the other dough and starts kneading the two together. My mother sets up a large pot on the burning gas, filled with water and a bit of oil, for later.

After the combined dough rested under the bowl, she cuts a bit off, flours the table, and begins rolling the dough into 2-3 mm thickness. Then, a glass, usually the type for whiskey drinks (with sharper edges) is used to cut out round patches. Each one of us takes one, and with a teaspoon, we grab the lentil filling and place it on top. My grandma manages to stuff her pierog with plenty of stuffing, and they always come to be perfectly round. Then, folding the circle in half with the dough inside, we use a bit of water on the edge to “glue” the two sides together. In my core memory, my great grandma elegantly folds the two edges together, and with her small hands she creates perfectly small folds, adding a very symmetrical pattern on the pierog. Each person has a different style of folding, giving the pierogies love and character. With the family atmosphere, talking and laughing, the numerous hours of hard work turns to an enjoyably pleasant time. 

Cooking & Serving:

Once there is enough, my mom takes about 12 pierogis and plops them into the bubbling water. As they rise to the top she counts 3-4 minutes cooking time, stirring from time to time to make sure they don't stick, and takes them out to a plate. These can be served right from the pot, or roasted on a pan with a bit of onion for more crunch.

Additional: Lentil stuffing directions

Cook the lentils in a pot, and strain them from nearly all of the water (save some for later if necessary). Chop the onions into small pieces and add to a pan. Cover and let simmer until the onion becomes soft, sweet and golden brownish. Then, using a blender, mix the cooked lentils, and then add the onion (and optionally bacon) with the oil from the pan, and blend to a smooth consistency. Then add the salt and pepper, to preferred taste, and mix it with your hands, or a spoon (depending of your comfort). The consistency should be smooth, and more like a paste but never runny. If it is too dry (cracking/cant stay together), add a bit of the lentil water (saved earlier) or warm water and it should be good to use. If not for Christmas (respecting Polish no meat Christmas eve "rule"), bits of bacon can be added to the onion on the pan, to get out the taste, and mixed in with the filling for more taste.